The Gift of the Magi
by justanoutlaw
Summary: Belle wants to buy her husband an expensive Christmas gift, but is unsure of what to do when her bonus falls through.


Belle's eyes flickered open as she felt someone tickling her nose. When her eyes flickered open, she was greeted by the lovely sight of her husband. There was no doubting that Marcus Gold was the most handsome man she had ever met. Even wearing something as simple as denim overalls and his hair disheveled. They had been married for three glorious months and she still couldn't get over how lucky she was.

"Breakfast…Mrs. Gold?" He asked, a twinkle in his eye.

Belle surveyed the tray he had placed near her, containing some toast and jam, along with her favorite tea. "I'd love some, Mr. Gold." She leaned up, pecking his lips. "Why'd you do all of this?"

"I just figured you've been working so hard lately, you barely have time to eat before you scurry out the door. Consider it an early Christmas present."

She glanced over at the calendar that hung on the wall and realized the date. The 24th. She would have a few days off for Christmas and was expecting her bonus that day. It was the very one that would guarantee she'd be able to buy Marcus the gift she had been dreaming of.

Funds had been tight over the past few months. With the decline of the need in bookstores, Belle's hours had been cut back drastically. Marcus worked on a farm in town and also spun some blankets to be sold. They weren't wealthy by any means and it had never mattered much to her before.

That was until she saw a beautiful chain for his pocket watch. Despite his parents never being very good to him, it was the last thing he had of his father's and it meant a great deal to him. It was always a pain to take it out of his pocket and it was constantly getting lost in between everything else. It was a bit extravagant, but it would all be worth it.

"Tell me you have time to join me before you head off to work," Belle said, noticing that the tray only contained enough for one.

Marcus tilted his head. "I'm afraid not, sweetheart. I'll be home this evening, though and I'll have your actual present." He pecked her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Belle watched him exit the room, letting out a content sigh. It was going to be their first Christmas as a married couple and she was looking forward to it. Growing up, the 25th had always been a magical day. For 24 hours, the stress in her home didn't seem to matter. She wanted to do the same for Marcus.

After eating her breakfast, she got ready and headed out of their tiny apartment on foot to the bookstore. Storybrooke was a quiet town and it was decked out for the holidays. A small blanket of snow had fallen over night and it truly looked like something out of a Dickens novel. The children were already out of school on break, a few running towards the park with sleds under their arms. Belle smiled after them, it seemed that everyone was in the Christmas spirit.

When she reached the bookstore, however, there was one person who didn't seem to be in the mood to celebrate. Her boss, Gaston Theroux was making a face at the mothers and children who were gathering in the room for Christmas story hour. Upon seeing Belle, he smirked and gestured to step forward. Belle forced a smile and walked closer to him, removing her winter coat.

"Hello Mr. Theroux, Merry almost Christmas."

"Happy Holidays," Gaston nodded. "I just wanted you to come into my office, you're due for a bonus."

Belle nodded, following him through to the back. "I do appreciate this, sir. I know funds around here have been tight, so it means a lot that you've kept up the tradition…"

Gaston waved her off. "Yes, well, we all know how hard you work, Miss French."

"It's Mrs. Gold now," she reminded him.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say." Reaching into his desk, he pulled out a pastry box from Granny's. "Here you go."

Belle carefully accepted it, poking at the ribbon around it. "What's this?"

"A cookie platter from Granny's, everyone's bonus."

Belle's mouth dropped open, that was not what she was expecting at all. Before Gaston bought the store, it had been run by Astrid, a sweet woman who made sure that everyone got a nice little bonus. Sure, the store hadn't been doing so great, but she knew that Gaston had just purchased a new car and she could see a shiny Rolex on his wrist that hadn't been there a few days prior.

He had squandered away the budget for bonuses on gifts for himself.

Belle had never been one to be ungrateful, but she felt like screaming. Many people depended on those bonuses, herself included. How could he have been so careless?

She knew better than to make a scene however. She swallowed her hurt and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Theroux," she said. "I better clock in before I'm late."

Heading into the break room, Belle shoved the box into her locker along with her jacket. She did her best to keep her mind on work, helping out with the story hour and assisting people with finding that last minute gift. It wasn't until Mary Margaret Nolan commented that she was buying a copy of Anna Karenina as a gift for her husband that Belle remembered her own plans for Marcus.

There was no way she'd be able to buy the chain. Her bonus was due to supplement a large portion of what it cost. On her break, she looked through her wallet. Sure enough, there was no way that the twenty she had would cover it.

She managed to get through the rest of her shift keeping up the charade of a happy employee and then wandered around the streets. She didn't want to head back to the apartment, she couldn't empty handed. Passing the jewelry store, the chain she had planned on buying seemed to mock her. Next door was the Three Bears Salon, she had never been in, she hadn't cut her own hair in years. That day, however, there was a peculiar sign. They were buying hair to make wigs.

Twirling her fingers through her own long locks, she drew a deep breath. Every little bit would help.

She emerged from the salon an hour later, the back of her neck feeling icy against the wind. She was left with a pixie cut that she absolutely despised.

 _It's only hair,_ she told herself. _It'll grow back._

With the money she had just earned, she purchased the chain just before the shop closed and made it back to the apartment. It was filled with delicious smells coming from the kitchen along with the sweet sound of her husband's singing. Carefully, she entered the kitchen and found him showered and clean, no sign that he had spent all day looking after animals. Marcus turned around and found his wife, his mouth dropping open.

"Belle…darling…" He walked over to her. "What did you to your hair?"

"Do you not like it?" Belle asked with a frown.

"You'll always look beautiful, I just don't understand. You…you said you didn't like cutting your hair."

"I normally wouldn't, but there was something important I wanted to do."

Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the wrapped package.

"Merry Christmas, Marcus," she whispered. She watched with baited breath as he unwrapped the chain. "It's for your watch. I didn't get my bonus, I didn't think I'd be able to afford it and then I saw this sign, Three Bears was looking for hair to make wigs out of…"

"You sold your hair for me?" Marcus asked, crestfallen.

"Yes. It was worth it, I know how much that watch means to you."

"Just about as much as your hair is to you."

Belle shrugged. "It's only hair. It'll grow back."

Marcus' frown didn't go away. "Belle…I don't know how to tell you this…"

Walking out of the kitchen, he returned only a few moments later with a wrapped gift of his own. Belle removed the lid and gasped when she saw beautiful combs inside, clearly meant to keep her hair out of her face.

"You kept saying that it was hard to work with your hair in your face, but you weren't a fan of barrettes. I saw these in a shop window, but didn't have quite enough to buy them." He chewed on his lip. "I sold my watch so I could buy them."

Tears gathered up in Belle's eyes. "You sold your watch for me?"

"I just wanted to give you a nice gift."

Belle threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He was caught off guard by the gesture, but tightened his grip around her.

"I love you," she whispered.

"But the watch…your hair…"

"It doesn't matter. My hair can grow back, some day when we're on our feet again, I can get you another watch."

"It's Christmas now, though and our gifts our useless."

"They're not useless. The fact that you gave up your most prized possession for me is possibly one of the best gifts I could ask for." She cradled his face in her hands. "I love you," she repeated.

Marcus smiled, stroking her cheek. "I love you too, my Belle."

" _The magi, as you know, were wise men—wonderfully wise men— who brought gifts to the newborn Christ-child. They were the first to give Christmas gifts. Being wise, their gifts were doubtless wise ones. And here I have told you the story of two children who were not wise. Each sold the most valuable thing he owned in order to buy a gift for the other. But let me speak a last word to the wise of these days: Of all who give gifts, these two were the most wise. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are the most wise. Everywhere they are the wise ones. They are the magi."-O. Henry, The Gift of Magi (1905)_


End file.
